Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who currently lectures at the University of Stanford, said that the Russian authorities had included him in the sanctions list because of his close relationship with President Barack Obama, and now he can’t come on the territory of Russia. About it the diplomat wrote on his page on Twitter.

McFaul noted that the last American Ambassador, to which the Kremlin has used similar sanctions, was George Kennan. “I hope I’m not permanently in the Russian “black list”. Since 1983 I have lived in this country and often came there. I look forward to the day when I will be able to make Vladislav Surkov at Stanford, and went back to read lectures at Alma mater, MSU,” he added.

The former Ambassador explained that he learned about the inclusion in the sanctions list when they tried to obtain a Russian visa to arrive in the next month to assist in the “transition mode” Clinton, “but this is not required.” The McFaul did not rule out that might be in the “black list” of 2014, but learned about it only now, when he needed a Russian visa.

Later a source in the Russian foreign Ministry in conversation with the journalists of the TV channel “Rain confirmed the inclusion of McFaul in the sanctions list. According to the interlocutor, a former Ambassador, was included in the list in response to visa sanctions of the USA against Russian citizens, and they knew it.

The journalists explained that McFaul, “as always, wrong: it was included in the return list is not for “closeness to Obama,” as he wrote, and for active participation in the destruction of bilateral relations and consistent lobbyist campaign of pressure on Russia.”

Note that when McFaul followed closely the election of the US President, in a message on Twitter he wrote: “Putin has interfered in our elections and succeeded. Well done” (the last word he wrote in Russian, and the first sentence in English).

Soon, however, this message disappeared and the politician made an explanation. As explained McFaul, he deleted his tweet, “after hearing the arguments.” The former Ambassador stressed that, for him, have a value of “facts and logic”.

Meanwhile, McFaul’s statements have not gone unnoticed in Russia. In particular, the representative of the foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook: “First, the Obama Administration appointed these “Makhalov” in responsible positions and entrusted to them the management of not only their country, but many vassal States, and then, when the situation became a stalemate, started to shout that Moscow was to blame”.

In turn, the press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov, answering on Wednesday a question, could Russia influence the electoral mood in the United States, said about the absurdity of such assumptions.

“I urge you to recall the words of President Vladimir Putin, who he said at the Valdai forum. He noted that it would be absurd to believe that any country in the world, including Russia, can have an impact on the election campaign in the United States,” Peskov said. He urged “to listen to the position of President with such estimates.”

Former US Ambassador to Russia McFaul announced his inclusion in the sanctions list Russia 11.11.2016